When Reaching The Youth Goes Wrong: B-Classic Gets Cheeky
A variety of classical music groups are trying to reach new audiences these days. I've written about some of them (see links below) but until B-Classic came out with its K-Pop choreography music video featuring the music of Dvorak, I had yet to see an approach that truly missed the mark. I could be totally wrong but it seems unlikely that watching attractive Korean women in shorts moving their hips side to side will attract young people to concerts where they'll actually focus on the music.
B-Classic is a Belgian classical music festival that's trying to leverage "the power of classical music to engage new audiences — without compromising on quality.
The Classical Comeback is one such effort:
"a new music video format that combines the timeless emotion of classical music with the visual talent of a contemporary director."
Here's the first example:
Dvořák – Symphony No. 9 Allegro con fuoco (Official Music Video)
The music is by Dvořák. The video is directed by Raf Reyntjens. The choreography is by Ari & Miu of the Korean dance group Waveya.
Waveya is a well-established phenomenon on YouTube. They choreograph superficial sexy dances to pop hits not limiting themselves to K-Pop.
While I'm actually a fan of Waveya and I appreciate Dvořák, I find this difficult to watch. The two just don't connect for me and, to be honest, it feels somewhat embarassing.
Maybe others will feel differently. Maybe all the attention will cause people to check out B-Classic while recognizing that the live concert will be rather different. Or maybe B-Classic will add dancers to their live shows.
It's hard to say. If you're interested in more about why B-Classic is taking this approach, I assume this 4-minute documentary will clue you in.
I found out about this project via Creativity Online but I decided to write about it partly because of an incredibly inaccurate headline at Adweek:
"K-Pop Group Twerks to the (Really) Oldies in First Classical Music Video Ever"
They're not twerking and classical music videos trying to reach a larger audience are not new.
But, hey, one act of pandering deserves another, I guess.
On a side note: In America we use classical music to repel the youth, not to attract them!
More:
- Classical Musicians As 21st Century Entrepreneurs
- Classical Music Embraces Indie Ethos: Fifth House Ensemble & wild Up
- Classical Pianist Valentina Lisitsa From D2F To A Record Deal
Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (@fluxresearch) posts music crowdfunding news @CrowdfundingM. To suggest topics about music tech, DIY music biz or music marketing for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.
